


bump in the night

by littlemsnerd



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: (jace is a masochist yall can Fight me), Biting, Chance Meetings, Exes, M/M, Making Out, Making Up, Reunited and It Feels So Good, anyways its its a party guys, restraint? i dont know her, wow how did this become 3k words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-10
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-17 08:40:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,327
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10590414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemsnerd/pseuds/littlemsnerd
Summary: spectacularly shitty doesn't even begin to describe the kind of day that simon is havingthen he runs into a wall with blue eyes and golden hairand suddenly its not so bad anymore





	1. i

**Author's Note:**

> what the FUCK is goin on my friends this is h e l l a long but i really like it
> 
> come chill w me on [tumblr](http://mxgnxsbane.tumblr.com)
> 
> i hope u like it leave a comment yeling at me i love those so YEA
> 
> enjoy :)))

The bar was just like any other seedy Brooklyn bar at 1 in the morning; stale beer, a faint undercurrent of weed, and the quiet sound of long days being drowned out in shots of whiskey. It wasn't as crowded as it has been when Simon got here, and the noise level had stabilized quite nicely, leaving him alone with all of the other alcoholics and mistake-makers Brooklyn had to offer.

Home sweet home.

He sighed as he looked down into his beer, something that they had on tap that he'd been halfway drinking for the past 3 hours. He was only on his 2nd glass, considering that most of those three hours had been spent looking blankly at his phone and making forced small talk with the people that came up to try and take him home.

Simon wasn't really sure where his day had started to go so horridly wrong, but he suspected that it may have had something to do with the fact that as soon as he stepped outside this morning, it had started to rain. If that wasn't a sign of terrible things, then he didn't know what was.

The domino's just kept falling from there. First, he was late to work, then he realized that he had left one of his client's files on his counter, followed by a spectacular incident of spilling his lunch down the front of his shirt, which all culminated in him being called into his bosses office, and after a short speech about "company downsizing" and "having to keep the reputation of our clients," he'd been laid off and sent home with 6 months of severance the only thing that would keep him afloat for the coming months. He'd already started mentally applying for jobs anywhere he could find a "Now Hiring" sign in the window. 

And after all of that, he'd ended up here, and hadn't left his seat since. 

The worst part of this whole thing was that he couldn't even call anyone to come and join him in this pity party, because they were all either sleeping or having a grand old time with someone that actually cared about them. Clary was off on a date with Izzy, Magnus was staying at Alec's house, and Raphael...yeah. No sense in going down that path again. 

"Hey, we're gonna be closing up here pretty soon. Can I call you a cab?" The bartender came over with a rag as she wiped down the counter. Her nametag read Maia. Simon would definitely be interested if it was any other night but tonight, but he just sighed and pushed the mostly full glass of lukewarm beer towards her.

"No, thanks though. I think I'm going to just walk home tonight. Clear my head."

"Are you sure? Don't want you getting mugged or anything." She looked up at him, her warm brown eyes looking straight at him, almost seeing right through him, filled with pity.

"Yea, it's okay. I only live a couple blocks away. Thanks, though. Appreciate it." Simon rubbed his hands quickly over his jeans before digging out his wallet and handing her a 10.

"Um, you've already paid for your drinks tonight, I don't-"

"It's your tip. Thanks for not kicking me out 2 hours ago." Simon smiled quickly, his heart not in it to keep it up.

"Oh. Um, thanks. I hope-well, I hope you have a good night, sir."

"You too, Maia."

He dug his hands into his pockets before shouldering the door open and walking into the cool grey of an early Brooklyn morning.

This was Simon's favorite time of day. Usually, he was asleep by now, exhausted from a day of accounting and such, but when he did find himself awake at the careful moments between midnight and the sun starting to rise, he would just stand at the one window in his tiny, shoe box apartment and breathe it in. The city noises, still alive and breathing even now, the quiet flickers of what stars he could see through the light pollution, the small line of grey just on the horizon, letting him know that there will be another day, and another, and another.

If he could live in this in between world for the rest of his life, he would gladly accept.

He was so caught up in the feeling that his eyes actually slipped shut, which of course lead him to walk straight into a brick wall.

Simon stumbled backwards, tripping over his feet and landing flat on his ass on the sidewalk, hands launching out to catch him, but only achieving scraped wrists in the process. He let out a groan internally as he scrambled to his feet again, already letting out a rapid fire apology.

"Shit, I am so sorry, I totally wasn't looking, please don't hurt me, I am-"

His words died a quick death in his throat as he looked into the blue brown eyes of the guy he just ran into.

Shit.

 _Of course_ , he thought bitterly, _of fucking course this is how my day ends. I'm a good person, what on Earth did I do to deserve this?_

They stood in silence for what seemed to be an eternity, when it was actually probably only about 30 seconds, before Jace cleared his throat and spoke to him for the first time in 4 years.

"Hey. It's...it's been awhile."

"Yeah, yeah. You could say that." Simon muttered, his hand nervously coming to scratch the back of his neck. Jace had broken up with him 4 years ago over text, and Simon immediately blocked his number and never looked back. In retrospect, it probably wasn't a good idea for them to get together, seeing that they were just so different, but Simon had felt that Jace...Jace was something new. Something exciting. They had been together for 2 years before it started to fall apart. However, it had taken him just as long to get over him.

Simon looked at him again and as their eyes connected, he could feel every wall that he had carefully constructed around what they once had coming down with incredible efficiency. He knew that he never really got over Jace, but seeing him here, right in front of him, just made those feelings come screeching back to the front of his mind.

"So...uh, how're you?" Jace looked at him, face twisted into something that looked like either pity or regret or sadness, Simon couldn't tell.

"I've been pretty good. I mean, up until today, but, you know. What about you?" Simon forced out between gritted teeth, cursing his brain for the lack of a filter.

"I've been better. Like, a lot better. But yea." Jace hadn't taken his eyes off of Simon this whole conversation, glittering with something that looked a lot like sadness and hell. He'd had such a shitty day, there was no one else that was going to talk to him, and he'd already made plenty of bad decisions that day, so what was one more?

"You know what's great for shitty days, seeing that we both had one? Milkshakes. Right now. I mean, if you want to join me, that's be really cool, but I know we haven't seen each other in years and I totally get it if you just wanna pretend that this never happened but you know I'm just feeling pretty lonely and you look like you are too so-" Once the floodgates had opened, the torrent of feelings almost swept Simon off of his feet with how much there was for Jace, once again cursing himself for the lack of a filter. Jace broke in quietly, but with just enough power to make him stop talking.

"Si. I'd love to. I know a great little diner a couple blocks away, unless you had another place?" Jace trailed off as Simon felt his heart rate pick up a tiny amount just from hearing that old nickname slip out of Jace's mouth like nothing was wrong. Simon was very glad it was dark outside, because he was pretty sure that he was blushing right now, and that is not something he could easily live down.

"No, no, uh. Lead on."

As Jace turned around and started walking, Simon could've sworn that he saw a smile flash across his face.

\--

Jace pulled open the door and gestured Simon through, as he laughed mirthlessly at the name.

"Happy Days Diner. Wow, what a fitting name for today." he muttered under his breath as he walked inside and waited for Jace to follow and show him where to sit. He walked all the way to the back corner and slid into the booth as if he'd done it 100 times before. Simon did the same, the vinyl protesting slightly underneath him before settling. He looked down at the table, tracing the swirls of the wood with his eyes and drumming his fingers on his leg before he heard the approaching of shoes.

"Jace! Been awhile, my friend. Who's this?" The waiter approached their table with a giant grin on his face, and Jace mirrored him, smile breaking out. 

"Hey Luke, good to see you. This is Simon, he's...he's-"

"A friend." Simon cut in, sensing that Jace was obviously struggling to pinpoint exactly what they were right now.

"Yea, he's a friend."

"Well, what can I get for you guys? Do you need a menu, or..?"

"No, we're good. Can we just get 2 milkshakes?" Jace replied, looking to Simon for confirmation, and Simon nodded back.

"Alright, 2 milkshakes coming right up." Luke scribbled on his pad before disappearing back behind the counter. The diner was mostly empty, save for one or two people scattered around, picking at their burgers and whatnot. Even though it was mostly empty and fairly dark outside, Simon still felt...comfortable here. Like he was coming home.

Maybe it was the beer.

(Maybe it's Jace, a voice whispered in his head.)

Yep. Definitely the beer.

"So, what happened to you today? No offense, but you look like shit." Jace leaned across the table and crossed his arms against his chest, leaning his forearms on the table and looking intently at Simon.

"Well, um. I got laid off today. So, there's that." Simon muttered, hand coming to tangle in his hair, watching as Jace's eyes followed the movement and stopped on his lips.

"Oh, dude. That sucks, man, I'm so sorry. Still doing the accounting thing?"

"Yeah, but maybe this is a sign that I need to, you know, not do that." Simon said bitterly, and was surprised when Jace let out a soft chuckle in response. It'd been so long since he heard that, he'd forgotten how nice it had sounded.

"That's it. The universe is sending you a sign, Lewis. Don't fuck it up."

"Well, fuck up is my middle name, so we'll see how that goes."

This time, they both laughed, and Simon felt his defenses fall down faster and harder than before. All of the things that he had so carefully tried to forget when he blocked Jace's number were coming back in full force, from the way he liked his coffee (black, no sugar because "sugar's for pussies and grandma's, Lewis."), to his favorite kind of cereal (Raisin Bran, for some godforsaken reason), to that once spot right on his collarbone that made him go completely weak in the knees-

Before he could continue down that road, he was interrupted by Luke reaching their table with the 2 milkshakes in his hands and setting them down.

"Two chocolate milkshakes, because you both look like you need some sweetness in your lives right now." Luke grinned down at them, half jokingly, half completely serious (he wasn't blind, you don't get those eye bags without going through some serious shit).

"Thank you so much, Luke." Jace answered, grabbing the one closest to him and ripping the paper off of the straw.

"Yeah, thank you."

"Anytime. Well, if you need anything, just holler." Luke said, and walked away, back behind the counter and into the small kitchen once again.

Simon watched as Jace eagerly stuck the straw into the milkshake and started drinking, cheeks hollowing out, Adam's apple bobbing with each swallow. He didn't let his train of thought go any further, for fear of what he may think if he did. Finally, Jace came up for breath, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Simon jolted out of whatever strange trance he'd just been in, returning to the current conversation.

"So, uh, what happened to you today?"

At that, Jace seemed to shut down, eyes growing darker as he remembered whatever had happened to him, visibly upset at the memory.

"Uh, well. I guess...I got fired too. And then I got in a pretty bad fight with my roommate...so he kicked me out. I didn't even grab my charger. Or any clothes. So...um. Yeah. Pretty shit day." Jace spoke in halting sentences, eyes downcast and completely focused on the patterns on the table. Simon felt his heart break a little at the sight of him, curled in on himself and looking so much smaller than the larger than life character he walked in here with. Before he could stop himself, Simon opened his mouth and made yet another probably very, very bad decision.

"You can stay with me." Jace glanced up slowly, some of the life returning to his eyes.

"Are you sure? I mean, I don't want to like, intrude or anything-" he stuttered out, hands twisting together nervously before Simon interrupted.

"No, no it's totally fine. I can sleep on the couch for a night or two."

"Simon...I-thank you. So much."

The way Jace said his name made Simon reconsider every decision he'd made in the past 4 years, starting with blocking his number. The way he was looking at him, the way he said his name, all of it filled Simon with something that he hadn't felt in 4 years, not even with the assortment of dates and relationships that had filled them. It was something that he had only ever felt around Jace. It started in his chest and expanded, cutting off his air and pressing his heart against his ribcage. It was warm and comforting and so, so good.

Simon felt a smile grow on his mouth, looking at Jace over the top of his glasses before quickly sliding back to his milkshake.

They sat there for what seemed like forever, quietly sipping and tossing jokes and bad puns back and forth. It was...nice. For the first time that whole day, Simon felt like he wasn't at risk of massively screwing anything up. Behind them, the night slipped slowly into dawn, grey light filtering through the trees, preparing for the beating sun to come back out. 

Simon noticed the time around 3 am. It certainly didn't feel like they'd been there for 2 hours, but Simon...well, he wasn't complaining. Jace let out a wide yawn across from him, and he chuckled.

"I guess that's code for 'I'm exhausted, take me home, Prince Charming.'" Simon smiled from across the table and slid out of the booth, stretching his arms out above his head. Jace followed, stepping out of the booth, before digging into his pocket and pulling out his wallet. Suddenly, Luke called out from where he was cleaning the counter.

"Jace, don't worry about it. On the house tonight."

Jace smiled. "You sure Luke? It's no big deal-"

"Jesus, Wayland, take the free milkshake and go." Luke grinned back, laughing at the same time.

"Thanks, Luke. Have a great night." he said as they started walking toward the door, Simon following close behind Jace.

"Yea, you too."

Jace pushed open the door and waved Simon through, before following him into the cool Brooklyn morning.

\--

They walked side by side in comfortable silence, punctuated by occasional jabs and soft laughter. Simon hadn't done anything like this in forever, and he was 100% sure he wanted to do it a thousand times more.

Finally, they reached Simon's brownstone building, and he buzzed them both up and opened the door to his apartment. He walked in and started to try and collect some of the dirty dishes scattered around, dumping them in the sink while giving a rushed apology.

"Sorry this place is such a mess, it's been a really weird week, and I wasn't expecting company-"

"Simon, it's fine. I'm just grateful that I don't have to sleep on a bench in a park somewhere."

"Nah, you're too pretty for that. Someone would've picked you up way before that."

They both laughed at that, and Jace stepped into Simon's space, barely a foot away from him. Simon felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked Jace up and down, taking in the way his hands rubbed together nervously, how his eyes glittered in the low light of the moon from the window, how his lips looked so perfect and they were just _right there_. They stood like that for a split second, before Jace cleared his throat, and the moment was broken.

"Well. Um, I'll take the couch. Thanks, again. For...everything."

Even though Simon wanted to argue that he could take the couch, because what kind of host lets their guest sleep on the _couch_ , the way he said it left no room for argument.

"Oh, um. Okay. Well, night, Jace." Simon said before turning and walking to his door, but right before he stepped in he turned around again.

"Hey. I...I had fun tonight."

Jace looked back up at him from where he was sitting on the threadbare couch and taking off his jacket to serve as a pillow, a half smile breaking on his lips.

"Yea, I did too. Night, Lewis."

And with that, Simon walked into his room and shut the door.


	2. ii

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello babs whats happnen I hope yall like this as much as i do
> 
> as always, my [tumblr](http://mxgnxsbane.tumblr.com) is always open for prompts/yelling about jimon/sicknasty dogs/whatever
> 
> keep an eye out for more stuff as always
> 
> enjoy :))))

The blackness behind Simon's eyes slowly faded to a light orange, and he blinked awake as the sun started to hit his face dead on through the tiny window. Pressing his eyes tight together, trying to clear the remnants of sleep from his mind, Simon sat up slowly and brought his arms out in front of him, stretching out. 

As he slowly came to, Simon realized that he hadn't even changed out of his clothes before he fell asleep, jeans and shirt a complete mess, glasses smudged to hell and back. Groaning, he swung his legs over the side of the bed before resting his elbows on his knees and hanging his head in between. He sat there for a moment, trying to sort through everything that had happened last night.

Simon hadn't drunk enough to forget it, so everything played back in his mind in full blown movie. Bumping (literally) into Jace on the street. Milkshakes at 3 am. Walking back and bumping shoulders the whole time. The way Jace had said his name. The way Jace had looked at him. The way Jace had looked.

Simon buried his head in his hands as the realization came barreling to the front of his mind.

_You never got over him. You still love him._

He didn't want it to be true, so, so desperately, but as he sat there and remembered everything that they had done, and how it had made him feel, and how he never wanted to do it with anyone else, he was forced to realize that it was.

Simon was in love with Jace. And there was nothing he could do to try and win him back.

Because the ugly reality was, Jace broke up with _him_. He had done something wrong, said something bad, messed up in a way so spectacularly it made Jace drop him like an old doll. It had been 4 years, but now it felt like it had just happened yesterday. 

He groaned again, heart sinking lower with every breath he took, smelling old cologne, faint traces of damp that always seemed to follow him, and something that smelled like french toast from the hall-

Wait.

He rose out of bed slowly, walking the 3 steps it took for him to reach the door and pull it open just wide enough to see a sliver of the kitchen, because what kind of robber breaks in to someone's house and cooks _breakfast_ -

And then the floor seemed to drop out from under him. Because it wasn't a burglar. No, this was much, much worse.

It was Jace. Cooking him breakfast. Without a shirt on.

Simon's breath caught in his throat as he raked his eyes up and down he blonde's back. It'd been a long time since they'd seen each other, but Jace hadn't changed a bit. He was still built like a god, all corded muscle and steady hands, every move delicate yet firm, just like he used to kiss Simon-

No. Stop that. Now.

Simon stepped back from the door as he tried to regain his breath without success. He'd thought that Jace would've bolted out the door as soon as he woke up, and that would be the end of that. But he didn't, and instead he was tormenting Simon with his _stupid_ blonde hair and his _stupid_ six pack. 

Yea. Simon was in love with Jace, and Simon was so totally screwed. 

He realized that he couldn't hide in his room all day. It was best to go out there, face him and get this with over now, so Simon took another 2 steps to his closet (amazing how close everything becomes when your room is the size of a bathroom), pulled out an old t-shirt, and yanked it over his head in exchange for the button down he wore last night that was little more than a shirt shaped pile of wrinkles. Simon crossed over to the mirror as he took his glasses and tried, in vain, to clean them off from a night of sleeping. He popped them back on, made sure he didn't look like death personified, and then steeled himself to go out and deal with the issue in the kitchen. 

He took a deep breath in and walked outside.

Jace noticed him come out, and as he turned to face him, Simon felt his resolve shatter like a glass wall with a rock thrown at it. His front was littered with tattoos, some that made sense, others that didn't, some that Simon recognized, others that he didn't. He looked him up and down, taking in all of the things that he'd missed when he'd been spying from his room, and was once again with just how much he'd changed since he'd last seen him. He looked...older. Not just physically, but the bags under his eyes, and the way his shoulders had been sagging made him look much older than his 28 years.

(You don't date someone for 2 years and not remember when their birthday is. As much as Simon wish he could forget.)

"Hey! Good morning." Jace smiled brightly at him, face lighting up to match the bleach blonde of his hair. He was wearing a pair of grey sweat pants that a. definitely did not fit him, and b. were definitely Simon's. Simon knew that he should be more angry that Jace was wearing his clothes without asking him, but he strangely couldn't find it in him to care. 

"Good morning? I thought you would've left by now..." Simon trailed off, hand coming up to scratch the back of his neck nervously. Of all the possible things he could've said, why did it have to be that? 

Jace's face fell, smile dropping with his eyes as his hands started to twist nervously. "Oh. Um, I'm really sorry if I intruded, but I just thought-well since you let me stay with you overnight I just-I wanted to thank you so I made breakfast-I can leave if you want." Jace tripped over his words, eyes darting all across the floor, determinedly not looking anywhere near Simon. Simon, in return, felt like a massive douchebag.

"Hey, hey! It's totally okay. I'm sorry that came out so asshole-ish, I'm just kinda tired-I'm glad you stayed. Really." Simon rushed to stand near Jace, hands flitting out, unsure of if it was okay to reach out and comfort him, or if he should just put them back in his pocket and pretend to be totally cool about this whole thing, even though he was dying on the inside. Luckily, when he said the last part, Jace looked up again, eyes sparkling just as bright as before, even if there was a touch of worry left over. 

"Oh! Okay. Um. Yea. I made breakfast?" Jace started brightly before starting to fade out, his broken sentence ending in a half question that Simon didn't even process until a full 30 seconds after he'd said it (it wasn't because he was tracing the line of Jace's jaw with his eyes, no sir).

"I see that. You know, I did change in 4 years, but I didn't go blind, amazingly." Simon said back, a half grin breaking out over his face as he did, and he was rewarded with Jace laughing, something he'd heard for the first time in 4 years last night and now, he's decided, something he wants to hear every day until he dies.

They stare at each other for what feels like 5 minutes, stupidly big grins on their faces before Simon realizes that no, _this is all wrong, he hates you, stop it now, it'll only hurt worse in the end_ and quickly clears his throat, moving around the counter and breaking whatever small little spell they had. He took a seat at one of the chairs he had set up by the counter, and told himself that it wasn't disappointment on Jace's face. 

"So Rachel Ray, what do you have for me today?" 

Jace let the smile slip back onto his face, even if Simon thought there was a little bit more sadness in it this time.

"Well, today I have for you the bare bones of french toast, because the pantry I was provided had 4 stale pieces of bread, 2 eggs pushed to the back of the fridge, and an inch of milk that was hidden behind 17 empty beer bottles," Jace declared, putting on his fanciest voice while still looking Simon dead in the eyes with disappointment, as Simon tried (and failed) to hide his laughter behind his hands. "Nevertheless, I persevered, and created the best breakfast in my life." And with this, Jace whirled around, and in one graceful move, placed a plate of almost-burnt toast in front of Simon. 

When he saw this, Simon let out an actual laugh.

"What? Are you making fun of my gourmet meal?" Jace frowned playfully, the mirth in his eyes canceling the effect of it. Simon laughed even harder at his expression, his blue brown eyes filled to the top with joy and laughter, even if his frown said otherwise.

"No! Of course not. I love it. It looks great, Jace." Simon said finally, the laughter dying down and turning into unaltered fondness for the blonde beauty in his kitchen, someone he never thought he'd see again, didn't want to see again, but now someone who he doesn't want to leave again. He looked around the cluttered counter, searching for a fork, or something that wasn't his fingers, when Jace produced one from behind his back.

"For you."

"Oh, why thank you."

Simon took the fork from between Jace's fingers, jumping in surprise when he brushed against them. feeling an electrical current run from the tip of his fingers through his arm before racing through the rest of his body, creating that same warm feeling from last night in the diner. He jerked them away quickly, looking down at the floor to try in one last ditch attempt to try and protect himself from the heartbreak that was inevitable. 

From in front of him, Jace cleared his throat awkwardly. "If you don't eat it, I will."

Simon looked back up quickly, plastering a forced smile on his face and faking horror at the mere thought. "You wouldn't dare."

"Believe me. I would." Jace said with a wicked smile on his face.

Simon gasped in horror and quickly started cutting off a piece, making sure to look Jace dead in the eye as he put it in his mouth and started chewing-

Before tilting his head back and letting out an honest-to-God _moan_. 

Honestly, this was the best breakfast he'd ever tasted, no. The best food he'd ever tasted. Simon wasn't sure if he put some crack in it, but it tasted amazing.

"Dude, this is fucking amazing." Simon quickly said as he came back to the land of the living, smiling as he saw Jace duck his head in an attempt to hide the blush staining his cheeks. "Seriously, you could cook when we were together, but this is next level."

_Shit._

The small apartment was plunged into an uncomfortable silence as Jace continued to stare at the floor, hands twisting small patterns into the stone counter. Simon felt like shit, but there was something that had been bugging him. Something that had been scratching the back of his ever since he woke up. He knew, knew with every single atom in his body, that he shouldn't ask; he should just let sleeping dogs lie, let the past be the past and move on.

But Simon wasn't one for self control. 

"Why'd you break up with me?"

The question dropped out of his mouth like a lead weight, taking the mood of the apartment and sinking it even lower. It felt as if the sun had gone behind the clouds, like winter had come early, but Simon didn't notice. He only noticed how Jace's shoulder's sagged even lower, forearms coming to rest on the counter, hair hanging in front of his face like a shield. Simon didn't know whether to speak or stay silent, to escape back to his room or to try and reach his hand out and hold Jace just one last time-

Then he spoke. In a low raspy voice, like it was being pulled out of his mouth over gravel, he spoke.

"I was scared."

"Of?" That wasn't the answer Simon wanted. He wanted a strong reason, a date and a place where he had wronged Jace so badly that it tore them apart. 'I was scared' offered none of those, and with every beat of his heart, Simon felt it climb higher and higher into his throat.

"I was scared of...of...of you." 

Simon couldn't breathe anymore.

Once Jace had gotten past that first sentence, it was like a floodgate breaking open, spilling out over his mouth and pouring out into Simon's waiting eyes.

"I was scared of how you made me feel. I was scared of how I imagined my future with-with _you_. I was scared of how I wanted to wake up every fucking morning and see you right next to me. 

Simon felt as if the world had tilted on its axis, his feet slipping out from under him, as he slowly got up and walked around the counter, Jace too involved in his own head to notice the movement.

If he wouldn't have heard the pounding of his heart in his ears, Simon would've been almost positive that he had died.

"And I've never gotten this attached to somebody, and I didn't want to screw it up, so I broke up with you, but as soon as I hit send I knew I had made a giant mistake and I didn't know how to fix it so I-I tried calling you but my calls weren't going through and I just-I was so scared I-"

Jace found himself cut off as a hand came down on his shoulder, and he instinctively flinched back, as if he'd been burned. His head shot up, eyes darting all around before finally resting on Simon, who was no longer sitting down, but now standing right in front of him. Simon, his eyes clouded by confusion and sadness and pure and utter wonder. 

Jace couldn't move. Simon couldn't move either.

They stood there for years, every second passing felt like a decade, before their worlds collided in a supernova.

Neither of them are sure who moved first, but suddenly Jace is pressed up against the counter, Simon latched on to his mouth like a leech, and they're both moving into each other, pushing and pulling like they never left. Simon's hands move from his shoulders up to lock around Jace's neck and pull him closer, closer, _closer_ -

Jace pulls back suddenly, gasping for breath, Simon moving his head forward because no, he needs more, he's missed this for 4 fucking _years_ -

"Wait, wait. Are you sure?" Jace breathes out, rough and ragged, and Simon has never been so sure about anything in his entire life.

"Yes. Yes, _please_ , I need- I missed you-I missed you so fucking much." Simon pants out, eyes still closed, forehead still resting against Jace's. The solid warmth of him is amazing, and Simon feels like he would fly apart at the edges if it weren't for it.

Suddenly, Jace is kissing him again, and it's nothing like the last one. The last one had been slow, but insistent, Simon driving most of the time, but this one. This was hot, and heavy, and rushed, like a thunderstorm, lightning charged and ready to strike. Jace's hands flew up and down Simon's body, skimming his waist, his chest, his shoulders, his neck, before finally reaching back down to pull the small of his back closer to him, arms wrapped firmly around his hips. Simon rocked forward, moaning into Jace's mouth at the same time because everything about this was electric.

Simon's hands unlocked from around Jace's neck, traveling down to rest on Jace's stomach, tracing small patterns with his nails, scratching up and down his sternum, as Jace let out broken noise after bitten gasp. Simon's nails scratched against that _godforsaken_ six pack, and he felt Jace actually shake under him, a broken "Simon-" escaping his mouth.

Jace pressed forward harder, teeth scraping against Simon's, hands drawing him impossibly closer, and everything Simon had been thinking about since this morning, since last night was suddenly here and possible, so he pulled away.

"Simon, wha-" Jace gasped out in shock, not wanting whatever this is to end, before suddenly being cut off by Simon latching on to that one spot behind his ear, sinking his teeth in and leaving Jace almost on the floor. 

But Simon didn't stop there.

No, because Simon remembers a lot about Jace. How he likes his coffee, how he likes his pasta, how he likes his sex.

So that's what Simon gives him.

He bites down at the spot where his jaw and his neck meet, sucking a hickey deep into the skin, and Jace is _gone_. White lights flash behind his eyes, a groan coming from low in his throat, and Simon reveled in the fact that it was him doing this to Jace. He continued down his neck, nipping and biting small little marks into the smooth column. Jace was barely standing straight up, his hands scratching up and down Simon's back, no idea what to do with any part of him except just sag into this wonderful pleasure.

When Simon reaches Jace's collarbone, latching on once again and sucking, this time he rolls his hips into Jace, and the noise that comes out of him is heavenly. They're so much slower than they first were, from a charged electric storm to the quiet power of the ocean. Push, pull, bite, suck, press, push, a circle that kept on going and going. Simon was in complete control, his hands tangled in Jace's hair, his mouth working back up his neck, nosing along his jaw, feeling the rough scratch of stubble that drives Simon just that much further.

"Simon-" Jace groans out, eyes latched on the body that's slowly pulling him apart, piece by piece, and he's the only one with his shirt off.

Simon pulls away from Jace's jaw and comes back up to kiss him again, slow and sweet, just a hint of the fire that's burning behind those eyes before pulling back and resting his forehead on Jace's, eyes slipping open to stare right into the other, drinking in the blue brown black that he didn't know he missed this desperately until he ran into them 12 hours ago.

"Hey." Simon rasps out.

"Hey." Jace replies. His eyes roam around Simon's face, before he opens his mouth once again. "How long?"

"Honestly? Since last night at the diner." Simon smiled gently, recalling the warmth that pressed into his chest so sweetly last night. Jace chuckles.

"I've got you beat. Minute I saw you again." Jace looks at him intently, full of something that Simon doesn't quite know what to call. Pity? Amazement? Wonder?

Love?

They stand in the cramped kitchen, slowly swaying to some unheard melody for a small eternity, reveling in the fact that they're there and together finally, it's been so, so long. They both have tiny smiles on their faces, eyes slipped shut, breathing in each other like they're the only air they need to survive. They're both a little scared, peering over the edge of a cliff that they've fallen over before, but now they know they on the way down, they'll be dancing in midair the whole way.

It's a start.

(It's a start that lasts all the way up until Jace gets down on one knee and asks him to never, ever leave again.)

(It's a start.)


End file.
